CT Couple's Song Satirizes Tiny Drivers of Large SUVs
WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) -- A Fairfield County couple's quirky song about tiny suburbanites driving huge sport-utility vehicles through their posh communities is gaining fans nationwide.
The song, ``90-Pound Suburban Housewife Drivin' in her SUV,'' drew a flood of responses after it was played recently on National Public Radio's ``Car Talk'' program.
It also made its debut this week on iTunes, an online store from Apple through which people purchase and download digital music.
``It's just a sign that we struck a nerve that we weren't aware of,'' said Suzanne Sheridan, who penned the song with her partner, Rozanne Gates, on a lark. ``It had a larger, broader appeal than just Fairfield County.''
Gates came up with the idea for the song four years ago, writing the lyrics that Sheridan put to music. They performed it at various events, including their civil union ceremony last October, before a friend in the music industry recorded it in Nashville with country singer Kira Small.
The response was immediate after ``Car Talk,'' the weekly NPR show dedicated to solving listeners' automobile problems, played the song in January.
``The phone just kept ringing, and then the e-mails just came pouring in,'' Gates said.
Gates and Sheridan said they drew their inspiration for the song from what they saw around them in Westport and other parts of Fairfield County.
``They're everywhere -- the 90-pound housewife driving in that big Suburban, or Explorer and the Escalade,'' Gates said. ``And they're getting bigger, and the ladies are getting smaller and smaller.''
The lyrics spell it out, describing the ``90-pound suburban housewife/ drivin' in her SUV/ talkin' on her cell phone/ oblivious to you and me/ kids in the back seat watchin' the/ little TV.''
The song has political significance for Gates and Sheridan, who bemoan the fact that the large vehicles seem to remain popular despite high gas prices.
Gates said they haven't received criticism from any neighbors -- even those who may have unwittingly inspired the song. ``I know so many people who fit that description, and they will say to me, 'I know somebody just like that!' `` Gates said. ``I say, 'Of course you do.' ``
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